How to set up a productive strategy/planning session

Some people shudder when they hear the word strategy. To them it means expensive days away in chain hotels, management consultancy jargon, endless opinionated chatter, well-rehearsed disagreements, and back in the real world nothing changes. Because poorly managed planning sessions can be so frustrating and pointless, they avoid them, and stick with the day job: however hard it is, it's easier than herding cats on a strategy day.

But without plans, things only change by accident, or when they're so broken it's easier to change than not. Many companies are like a ship of fools, management's perpetually rushing around, doing what they’ve always done, busy working in the business, but with no time to work on the business. I actually heard someone say once: ‘Yes, I have a plan, I just haven’t written it down yet.’

However, if you keep the language simple, and reframe the word strategy for both yourself and your team it’s possible to reset attitudes and arrange a positive, productive planning session.

• Reframing for you: ask yourself: ‘Does my company respond to strategy, or pain ?’ Of course you want it to respond to strategy: instant attitude shift.
• Reframing for your team: Don’t describe the day as a strategy day: in the invitation, call it ‘A meeting where we’re going to agree what we will do differently’.

As you start the meeting, insist on laptops and phones being turned off. Then...

• Go round the room, and ensure everyone (including you !) has 10 minutes to say whatever they want. Ensure everyone can speak their mind without interruptions or discussions (although questions for clarification are ok).
• After each 10 minutes, summarise their input and get their agreement you’ve understood.
• Then have a 5 minute tea and pee break to get your thoughts together.
• When you get back, summarise everyone’s thoughts, and set the agenda for the meeting using the theme ‘Here are the areas where we're going to do things differently.”